Pikes Peak is probably the best known of the Rocky Mountain peaks in Colorado. It is the first one seen as travelers approach from the east. It lifts its snow-capped peak 14,110 feet (4,301 meters) above sea level, in the Front Range. Pine and spruce forests grow to a height of 11,700 feet (3,566 meters) on its slopes.
The mountain was named for Lieutenant Zebulon Montgomery Pike. In November 1806, Pike climbed partway up the mountain, but lack of supplies forced him to turn back. Edwin James, a scientist with the expedition of Major Stephen Harriman Long, led an exploring party to the top in 1820.
Today, the top of Pikes Peak can be reached on horseback or by a 9-mile (14-kilometer) cog railway. A 30-mile (48-kilometer) automobile highway leads to the top from Colorado Springs, 12 miles (19 kilometers) to the east. A famous motor vehicle race, the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, is held there every summer. A huge searchlight was installed on top of the mountain in 1905. The National Weather Service maintains one of the highest meteorological stations in the world on Pikes Peak. Pikes Peak is the center of one of the most popular mountain-resort areas in America. Denver is located 65 miles (105 kilometers) north of the peak.
